Healing a Shattered Heart
by BrownEyesAngel
Summary: After seeing the death of everyone she loves, Hermione unwittingly sends herself into the past. Can one lone girl change the future of the Marauders? No Flames!
1. Chapter 1

Healing a Shattered Heart

By BrownEyesAngel

Summary: After seeing the death of everyone she loves, Hermione unwittingly sends herself into the past. Can one lone girl change the future of the Marauders?

Disclaimer: If I owned it, why on earth would I be writing Fan Fiction?

Chapter 1

A girl walked down the empty corridor, her steps sure, her posture perfect. She was a pretty girl, not considered the raving beauty some other girls could be categorized, but there was something that shown in her eyes, eyes that made her appear wise beyond her seventeen years, or it could be her contagious smile that made a boy look twice. Of course she never noticed; her nose was often times stuck between the pages of a thick book, but her friends did. Where this particular girl could be called the brightest witch of her age, even the smartest thing that Hogwarts have ever graced since Dumbledore himself; she couldn't see any boy looking at her more than as a friend.

In fact, that thought was one of the things troubling Hermione Granger on this particular evening, especially after listening two her two best friends making fools of themselves in front of they're girlfriends. "_It's not as if I'm not happy for them, I am_!" she thought. "_I just don't want to be alone with no one to call a friend again_." While the thought of being alone in the world made her depressed, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of her friends: Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter, famously known as the boy who lived. Harry has gone against Voldermort almost half a dozen times in his sixteen years of life.

She could picture her best friend, as if he was sitting right beside her with his genuine smile, brilliant green eyes, raven hair, and his lightning shape scar on the center of his forehead; the mark of the becoming the boy who lived. He was always the person she could count on, a true Gryffindor. He was slightly taller than her five foot five inches height. So warm, so caring, it was no wonder many girls were after him. He did alright picking the girl he did; Ginerva Weasley, a Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, dark brown eyes, fire-like red hair and a temper to match. Hermione considered Ginny to be her best girl friend, but Harry on the other hand, she considered him the best friend that she would ever have. She feared that he would lose his life in battle with Voldermort or playing Quidditch as a Seeker-a jinxed broom stick his first year, a rogue Bludger his second, falling fifty feet to the ground his third-she had a reason to worry.

Ron was also a true Gryffindor, with flaming red hair and brown eyes (trademarks of the Weasley Family). He was the tallest person in their class, and lanky too. He has a not so secret dream to become the Keeper of the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team. He believes he has gotten one step closer to fulfilling that dream when he became the Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The downside of being friends with Ron is that he has a short temper and often times Hermione and Ron would end up fighting. She didn't know why everyone was placing bets on when they would end up together, she believed that if they got together, then all they would do is fight, and that the relationship would forever destroy their friendship. Besides, she knew he had a crush on a certain Luna Lovegood, the dreamy blue eyes, blond hair Ravenclaw.

She knew those boys almost as well as she knew herself. The one thing that she didn't understand about her boys was why they were so obsessed with Quidditch. Quidditch, she was sure, should be the band from wizard society. Fourteen people on broomsticks (seven to each team), a red ball called a Quaffle which three players, called Chasers, on each team chase about to throw in one of three hoops on each side of the Quidditch Pitch, ten points per each successful shot. A Keeper for each team guards their respective hoops. Two Beaters try to hit the two Bludgers at the opposing team, which, by the way, are nuisances by themselves. Bludgers will randomly choose a person it will go after, never a single person. And, finally, the Seeker will try to catch the Golden Snitch which is a walnut size golden ball with wings. It's super fast and hard to see but catching it ends the game. The Seeker that catches the Snitch will have gotten the team 150 points, usually making that team the winner. Being as valuable as they are, Seekers are usually the ones to get injured in the game.

She rounded the corner. "Maybe I didn't like Quidditch because of the simple fact that she hates heights, and they do fly awfully high," she mused. She was finally getting closer to her destination: the Headmaster's office, struck again by the thought of loneliness when she saw a couple making out in a not so secluded corner. "_Maybe I can be the favorite Aunt everyone always wants to stay with-_" Her thoughts were interrupted by a muffled sound of somebody arguing farther down the hall.

Even though everything seemed peaceful, she fingered the piece of wood that rested in the holster she designed for herself. After everything she's been though-the sorcerer's stone her first year, a basilisk her second year, werewolves and Voldermort supporters her third year, trying to help Harry with the Tri-Wizard Tournament her fourth year (not to mention all the hate mail because of that Skitter woman's lies), and the Department of Mysteries last year-it's best for a girl to be prepared. She stopped in front of the nearest classroom; the voices seemed to be louder there.

"I don't care what our parents say; you're not going to be my wife!"

"Draco, this has been arranged since we've been babies, you can't choose who you are going to marry!" Hermione heard something crash (Is Draco and clingy Pansy destroying the classroom with they're fight?). "Besides, who would have you, just that Mudblood whore, and Weaselette. No one would have you willingly!"

"You don't even know what you are talking about! (Another crash, making her wince) Forget it, I'm out of here." That was her cue to start running.

"Draco-" the whining grew silent as Hermione raced to get around the next corner to avoid being caught.

"I always thought that the wanted to be together," Hermione thought. Then she realized who she was being somewhat concerned about. "Maybe Harry is right; I am too caring if I'm concerned about Draco after hearing his agreement." She looked at the crumbled note in her hand, "I can't believe I forgot! I'm going to be late meeting with the headmaster!"

"Let see," she whispered as she looked down at the note. "Ew, cockroach clusters!" She shook her bushy brown mane in disgust as the gargoyle sprang to life and moved to the side for her to enter, "_I believe the professor needs to go to muggle candy now…" _ She walked up the spiral staircase, staring at the mahogany doors in front of her. "Gryffindor courage now Granger," she whispered, and knock so lightly that _no one_ would be able to hear it. Smiling, she turned to leave then she heard the dreaded "Come in" as she was walking down the steps. She turned, with a frown on her face, "If my boys have gotten me in trouble, I will hex them to oblivion, best friends or not." She stepped into the office, always amazed by how many odds and ends the old wizard had, and finally her brown eyes settled on the ones behind the desk.

Blue eyes twinkle over the half-moon spectacles as the wizard rose to meet his guest. "I do hope that you know that you are not in trouble. That is a relief, I am sure, for you." He walked over to Fawkes' perch, stroking the phoenix in a soothing manner. "What I'm about to say will startle you, no doubt." He glanced over his shoulder nodding the girl. "Please, sit down Ms. Granger and you will soon know why I have summoned you here with out your body guards."

She smiled as she took her sit. Bodyguards would be one of the best terms to describe her best friends. _"In fact they are very overprotective." _

"I have a special assignment I could only trust you with. That is why I only requested your presence. You will find out from Mr. Potter that Voldermort has created several horcruxes. I can tell by your expression you are confused with the term. There is a way to become immortal, but it requires an act of evil. One is even difficult to create but Voldermort has split his soul into seven, a very powerful number, and have placed them into several objects: one in the Riddle's diary that Harry has destroyed, one in Slytherin's ring," Dumbledore motioned to the ring on a rock, "one in a Slytherin's locket, another in Hufflepuff's cup, one, I believe, is in Voldermort's snake, and one other. Your mission is to find the cup and the other object with the help of Professor Snape and destroy them for Harry before his seventeenth birthday. I would leave destroying the snake until the final battle if I were you."

"Why me?" was all Hermione could ask. She looked at the ground, gathering her thoughts. "Why not Harry, Ron, or even another member of the order? Why does it have to be me?"

"Earlier this year, you were approached by Professor McGonagall to become an animagus, correct?" At her quick nod Dumbledore continued, "I ordered her to teach you and two others how to be come one. You will need this skill during your mission. And, you are one of the few I know will carry it out completely because of your love for Harry," his blue eyes twinkled knowingly as he said this.

She opened her mouth then snapped it shut, only to open it again to say, "Whatever do you mean? Of course I love Harry, he's my best friend."

"_How could he possibly know my deepest secret?"_

"From the looks you give him, you probably fancy yourself in love with him," he said smiling slightly.

_Did he say I probably- _"I know I'm in love with him!" She grimaced, "_Stupid, he's the headmaster of the school and you yell at him?"_

"_But I know that I love him and he doubts my knowledge-"_

"_It was probably some stupid ploy to get you to say something."_

"I'm terribly sorry Professor, I was out of line."

"No need to apologize, I had put up a fight when I was in your position. But, just remember, what we believe is not always right, we humans have the tendency to be set in our ways."

She gave him a curious glance. "Was that all that you wanted to speak to me about, Professor?"

He took his sit behind the great desk. "No, I want you to know that I will not be here to guide you directly. In a few days time, I will be murdered. I will prepare my pensive for you disposal during your mission.

As soon as he said murdered, Hermione was out of her sit, not even listening to his remaining words. "Murdered, Professor? How could you know that something that unthinkable is going to happen?"

At that moment Professor Snape strolled in, his robes bellowing after him. Surveying the room, and his brightest student ever, he deducted that Albus told her the situation, or most of it at least. "How much have you told her?" he drawled out.

Hermione alternately glanced at Snape and Dumbledore, comprehension dawning on her face. "You greasy hair git! Why are you going to murder Professor Dumbledore-" She closed her eyes realizing she overstepped her boundaries again. Taking a deep breath, deciding that she didn't care any way, she stared into Snape's inky orbs. "I loathe you-"

"I have only told her that I would be meeting my end very soon, Severus," he said as if an emotional outburst didn't just occur. "Also that she has a mission. Would you care to explain the rest?" The older man look tired all of the sudden as if he was showing his true age.

Snape frowned, not his usual grimace he showed to Gryffindors and especially Harry Potter, but a one of naked pain and regret. "Miss Granger, what is going to be said will not leave this office, understood?"

Seeing her nod her head stiffly and slowly sitting back into her chair. Knowing that the young witch knew who would kill Albus and would still like to tell him off, he spoke before she could open her mouth. "I would like you to be quiet while I explain everything that has now leaded up to this event." She remained mute, glaring at him; he took it as a signal to keep talking. "You will have a chance to rant and rave afterward."

"We will begin near the end of summer when Nacissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange showed up on my doorstep. Mrs. Malfoy was frantic; she turned to the only person that Lucius some what trusted and the teacher that young Malfoy praised, me."

"_He isn't bragging,"_ she thought understanding the tone in his voice. _"He's stating the facts as he knows them."_ Hermione nodded her head to let him know that she understood.

"Knowing that I am a deatheater made it a little easier to explain the situation." He paused staring into her amazing, intelligent, chocolate eyes. "The dark lord made young Malfoy a deatheater and his first mission to prove his loyalty is to murder Dumbledore." He saw her eyes widen, but she remained silent. "Mrs. Malfoy, as you could guess, believed that he didn't stand a chance against Dumbledore. So she wanted me to perform an Unbreakable Vow. With Lestrange with her as the witness, there was no way that I could talk my way out without showing my true colors."

He took a deep breath, remembering what Lestrange had said. Insinuating that he was never loyal to the dark lord's bidding. He scoffed, "_Of course I am not, but at least I was able to make them think that they still had a double agent_."

"Professor, if Malfoy doesn't kill the headmaster, then you will? What would happen to Malfoy then? Wouldn't he be considered a traitor?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

He stared at her for a moment, thinking she looked familiar to him, "_Of course she's familiar, you have taught her for almost six years._" Shaking the fanciful thought away he continued. "The dark lord will most likely order his death, and I will volunteer to carry out that task." He looked at Dumbledore and received a nod. "If I am allowed the mission, then I will fake his death and bring him to you to help you find the horcruxes."

"Professor, Headmaster, Malfoy and I do not get along. We'll kill each other!"

Before she could continue, Dumbledore said, "Please, will you help us? We will need for you and Mr. Malfoy to work together. In fact, both Professor Snape and young Malfoy came to me to tell me what happened as soon as the year started. Snape to tell me about the Unbreakable Vow, and Malfoy to tell me his task, which he doesn't want to do. In fact, he has told me he found his reason to go against the Dark Lord."

"His reason?" Hermione was confused, what could Malfoy have found that would make him fight for the Light side?

"He found love with a young woman who supports this side." Dumbledore stood up and made a gesture to a cabinet, "After I die, take my pensive. Hopefully my memories will be able to aid you."

"But I thought that a pensive will only work if the person is still alive." Hermione was sure that she read that somewhere.

"Believe me, it will work. I have two relatives alive that are from my direct line. I have charmed my pensive to work as long as those two relatives are alive. Only you, though, will be able to use it."

Hermione woke with a start, staring into the firelight only a few feet from her sleeping bag.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, I'm back with another chapter! And I want to thank my First Reviewers EVER!!!:

FredWeasleyLover1126-Sorry, it is a bit confusing, but everything should be clear in the next couple of chapters.

ginsensu-Glad you like it, hope that you enjoy this next chapter as well!

MasterLenx -Thank you for the awesome review; hope that this chapter meets your expectations!!!

Well that's that, now on with the story!

Disclaimer: You people so cruel to make me say this: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Two

Hermione slowly became aware of her surroundings to remember exactly whom she was with and where. The dream was practically an exact replica of her memory, she still had chills. The fire was still blazing in the camp meaning Blaise was still up and about, or was it Draco's watch? She stared into the flames remembering how it came to this point.

After Headmaster Dumbledore's death, the school was released for summer holidays, right after his funeral…

_Flashback_

"Hermione, are you in here?" Ginny's red hair entered the compartment, brown eyes connected with brown. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you." She entered, locking the compartment door behind her. "Are the boys going to be joining you soon?" She sat in front of the bushy haired girl, who was holding her ginger familiar.

"Actually, I'm not too certain…" she answered, her voice slowly reaching a whispered tone.

"Good, because Mione, I have to tell you something and you're the only one I can trust to not blow this out of proportion. If I don't tell you, I swear that I am going to burst!"

"Calm down Gin. I'm listening, is this about Harry?" Hermione asked smiling for the first time in days and saw Ginny shake her head. "Well, just tell me what's on your mind."

"First you have to promise that you won't get mad or fret or angry or concerned for my sanity or explode or-"

"Ginny, you just said mad, angry and explode, those are practically the same thing. Besides, that is what Ron does, not me. Fret and concerned for you or my boys' sanity I do everyday," she teased placing Crookshanks, her ginger cat on the floor. She placed her hands on her knees, looking as if she was in class. "Now, take a deep breath."

Ginny did as she was told, then quickly said, "Dating Dean and Harry was a cover up for who I was really dating. We can't let it be public till the war is over. I don't mean to be hurtful to anyone's feelings, I just can't show the love I have for him until the right moment. But I don't want Ron and Harry to be disappointed in me."

"Ginny, relax. The only way that Ron and Harry will be disappointed was if you were dating someone they truly hate. It's not has if you have been secretly dating Draco Malfoy-"

Ginny gave her an exasperated look.

"Oh, well, that's digging yourself a hell hole with the boys when they find out," Hermione stated seriously.

"Mione," Ginny whined. "You're suppose to give me advice, not stating the bloody well obvious!"

"Sorry, sorry," she said with a laugh, seeing Ginny's pouting face. "_It feels good to laugh, having fun. I'm worried that I won't be having much to laugh about these next months."_ She stood up, to sit down next to her female best friend. "You know, I wouldn't tell Harry that dating him was a cover up. I would say…" Hermione tapped her chin thoughtfully. "_Hmm, what would I say? Ah-ha!" _She looked at Ginny as if she solved the issue of world hunger. "That it was to kill the love you have for Malfoy, but every time the two of you kissed, it felt as if you were betraying Malfoy. But insert Draco where I said Malfoy, otherwise, they might not believe you."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Who would believe that I love Draco if I keep calling him by his last name?" Ginny giggled.

"By the way, how long have you been seeing Draco? Oh my," she gasped playfully, a twinkle in her eyes that would have made Dumbledore proud, "does that mean we are no longer able to call him 'The Amazing Bouncing Ferret' ever again?"

"No, you may not!" she exclaimed, playfully slapping Hermione's arm. "In fact, I was going to be campaigning that issue during the summer and all throughout the next year. Definitely much more that you dedicated to S.P.E.W."

"Ah, as long as you don't have your own set of boys that you will have to keep alive and graduating, you will do fine," she said in an all-knowing tone.

"Yes, and it will be called D.A.F.T."

"You boyfriend will appreciate your campaign for his self-image to be called daft."

"I know, we have that special type of relationship," Ginny stated proudly.

"What, that he's self-centered and you are going insane, that a real deep relationship. And Weasley, you have been avoiding the first question, hope you didn't think I would forget about it."

"Drat, you would remember after all. Don't tell anyone," she pleaded. "Ever since Third Year."

"Third Year!" she exclaimed as someone outside the compartment said, "_Alohomora!_"

"Hermione," Ginny said warningly, as Harry and Ron entered the compartment. Then she turned to face the boys with a fake smile plastered on her face. "Where were you boys, Mione and I were about to go looking for you."

"With a locked door?" Harry asked as both him and Ron as in the seat across from the girls, handing them some Pumpkin Pastries.

"Well, that was to keep the Slytherins out of here, just incase they decided to go insane like Dr-Malfoy and Snape." She let out a sigh as the boys seem to accept the excuse she gave them.

The rest of the train ride went by with the boys playing Exploding Snap, Ginny watching and cheering them on, and Hermione reading "Hogwarts, A History," if you could call staring at it wondering how to make Harry stay at the Dursleys' until he turns seventeen reading.

"_There's always an unbreakable vow,"_ she mused as the train came to a stop at King's Cross.

"Hermione?" Harry was standing in front of her holding his hand for her to grasp.

She did, noticing that they were the only ones in the compartment. "_Now or Never,_" she thought as Harry pulled her along to the exit. "Wait Harry," she whispered.

"Is something the matter?" he asked. "You have been quiet the whole train ride. What's wrong Mione, you know you could tell me anything." He cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her cheek bone, oddly it soothed her.

"I'm worried for you," she finally said. "Please promise me that you will stay at the Dursley's until your birthday. I can't stand that fact that you could be protected for a little while longer but you going off the save the world, ignoring that protection." She was crying now, it was the truth; she would die if he died. Her face buried into his t-shirt, she vaguely realized that he was running his hand through her hair, his other rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"If it makes you feel better, I was planning on it. Dumbledore would have wanted it this way," he whispered in her ear. "Now let's go. No more tears okay?" He watched as she shrunk her trunk and put it in her pocket.

In the crowd on King's Cross, he lost sight of her, so he didn't see her take Snape's hand, and he didn't see her Side Apparate with Snape to meet up with Draco and Blaise.

_End Flashback_

She felt a hand on her shoulder, then a hug from behind. She accepted it. She felt as if she needed it. And suddenly she wanted to go home, to feel her parents comfort her. She glanced to see Draco rest his head on her right shoulder, his pale hair glowing in the firelight, his arms hugging her just a little tighter. "Draco…"

"You were crying," he said simply. "Ginny wouldn't be happy with me if I let her best friend cry without anyone to comfort her."

She smiled gently, knowing that within the three weeks they have been traveling together, along the way Draco suddenly considered her to be his female best friend; a sort of sisterly figure. Not only has his behavior changed, but due to them being out in the open made his skin taking a healthy looking tone in lieu of his pale, sickly complexion. He was about as tall as Harry (a good six inches taller then her 5'6'' height), and made it his duty to protect her. To her, the Draco and Blaise became Ron and Harry's temporary replacements, and then slowly found their own place in her heart.

She had been dreading working with Draco the moment Headmaster Dumbledore told her that they would be. But Draco and Blaise (who she didn't know would be joining them) treated her with the utmost respect. Of course mudblood would slip out of their mouths every-so-often; you just can't destroy a habit in a day.

Snape made them call for a truce as soon as they met them. Told them that every one of them was an animagus, Snape was a raven. That's when she found out that Blaise was a lion with a black mane and Draco was a Siberian tiger. Draco and Blaise then confronted each other for being so called best friends.

"If you were my best friend then why didn't you tell me that McGonagall trained you to become an animagus?" Draco had said.

"Me, what about you? I thought that you were my best friend!" Blaise retorted.

Slytherins, trust them to blame each other.

She was startled out of her reverie by somebody clearing their throat. Both Draco and she looked up to see Blaise standing over them. "Is there something I should know about?"

"She was upset, probably thinking about you," Draco snickered.

"My Mia would never think badly about me!" Blaise had decided that Mione was an overdone nickname for her, so he called her Mia; it was his own special nickname for her.

She smiled up at him, thinking that the boy was somewhat of a mystery to her. Blaise Zabini was in her year, a tall, taller than Draco, dark-skin boy with dark, almost black eyes. He was never really mean to her; in fact, it was almost always indifferent to her during school. He was sort of a behind the scenes kind of guy, you knew he was there, but he didn't make an impact on you type. Lately he has been saying that they would do fabulously together, but she can't tell if he is pulling her leg or not; so she just laughs and flirts back.

"No worries Blaise, I just had a bad dream," it was kind of the truth.

He grinned at her as he sat down beside Hermione; Draco had moved to her other side, holding her hand. "So have you thought about my offer? You know, about us traveling around the world as soon as the war is over? We could go to Paris, New Orleans, Tokyo, Las Vegas, and Hollywood, anywhere you want to go. It would be fun. We could even take Drake and Red (Red is his nickname for Ginny) with us," he was still grinning.

She looked thoughtful, this was another one of those times when she didn't know whether or not he was playing around or was serious. "I don't know, there's always the cleaning up part of the post-war stuff, but maybe I will deserve a break after we are done."

"Of course you will deserve a break," Draco stated. "You figured out that the locket that is in the Order's Headquarters is a horcrux and that the wand that is on display at Ollivander's shop was Ravenclaw's wand is also a horcrux; you will definitely deserve a break."

"Yeah, not to mention that you figured that Hufflepuff's Cup is here in the dark forest," Blaise added.

"If we get the cup, then we can destroy the other two horcruxes and find the last one before Potty has to take down Voldermort."

"Draco, if you can't call Harry by his name or by Potter, then call him the bloody boy-who-lived. Anything but Potty," Hermione groaned. As much as the two Slytherins accepted her, they still did not like Harry or Ron.

"Anyway," Blaise interrupted so Draco wouldn't have to answer, "When are you changing into your pretty kitty form to communicate with that cat of yours?" He was talking about her animagus form, a lynx, a small but wild cat. She could use Legilimency on her cat at a long distance while in her animagus form to find out what is going on in the Order, since everyone believes Snape to be a traitor. In fact, the boys could do that as well (their families taught them Legilimency at a young age) since they all had cat forms, but they thought it would be better for Crookshanks if his mistress did that instead.

"Why don't we set this place in our memories and apparate to my place for a real shower, instead of bathing in the river, and I will communicate with Crookshanks." Hermione really wanted to see her parents; this would be the prefect time.

Blaise looked at Draco, who shrugged, and replied, "There shouldn't be a problem with that. Besides, there's something inviting about a real hot shower." He waggled his eyebrows, "With you in it of course."

"Okay, leave her alone you perv," Draco said coming to Hermione's rescue.

"_Boys,"_ she thought, shaking her head gently. "Alright, we are going to have to Side-Apparate because neither of you, know where we are going-"

"Have you ever Side-Apparated?" asked Blaise.

"No," she said simply, as if it wasn't a big deal. "Do you think I can't do it?"

"Well…" Apparating was a big deal; there was always the possibility of being splinched-a body part left in a different location. Side-Apparating was an even bigger risk because the apparater needed to concentrate to make sure both persons arrived intact. Double Side-Apparating was almost near impossible to accomplish.

Grabbing her wand, she put out the fire and ushered them to get off her sleeping bag. Hermione then proceeded to pack away camp, fitting everything into Blaise's trunk and shrunk it so that it would fit into his pocket. She gave him a challenging glare as she grabbed a hold of both boys' hands, and the three disappeared with a pop.

They arrived in the entrance of a large home, Hermione then said, "There, brought the both of you here all in one piece."

"One piece, hmm?" Draco asked as he looked down into his pants. "Yep, I'm good, how about you Blaise?"

"Me too, everything is still in place."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "_I should have expected that._" She took a few steps into the hall, "It's late, try to be quiet, that way you won't wake my parents up." She then proceeded to lead them upstairs, showing them where the bathroom and spare bedrooms were at. After seeing them settled in the rooms, she walked into her own. She didn't turn on the light; she just walked into her in suite bathroom and climbed into the shower.

The showerhead blasted out boiling hot water, but she didn't mind, after all she has been bathing in freezing cold rivers for the past three weeks, so she welcomed it. She thought about Ron and Harry, wondering how they were doing. She thought about all the other members of the Order: Kingsley, Hagrid, McGonagall, Tonks, Moody, and the Weasleys. When she thought about Professor Lupin, her heart skipped a beat; she shook her head, trying to clear out her old school girl crush. It still persisted after three years. "_Is that normal?_" she wondered. "_Is it normal for me to still think of him that way?"_

She finished her shower then brushed her teeth. She thought of Harry, and how she had fancied herself in love with him. They were alike in ways-they both lived with muggles, smart (although his didn't think he was), and compassionate. But Professor Dumbledore was right, that humans really were set in their ways, it took traveling with Draco and Blaise to find that out for herself. "_At least I discovered that before I did anything rash,"_ she thought as she climbed into the covers.

She woke before the sun rose; she has always been a morning person. She went downstairs into the kitchen to make breakfast for her guests and parents, pleased that she will be seeing them again. After she was done making waffles, bacon, and eggs, she noticed that her parents still haven't come down; they should have been up and about already. So she climbed back up the stairs, passing by both boys drifting down to the kitchen because of the smell of food, and knocked on her parents' bedroom door. "_That's odd…"_ She opened the door and saw that it was empty.

She was confused, and Hermione Granger was rarely confused. Then there was the sound of the door bell ringing through the house. She rushed down the stairs, opening the door and found a formally dressed man at the door. "May I help you?"

"Are you Miss Hermione Granger?" the stranger asked. He had graying black hair and gentle green eyes.

"Yes I am, how may I help you?" she asked uncertainly.

"May I come in? I am Mr. Jake Henson, I was your parents' lawyer."

"My parents are not home right now, but I will tell them that you came-Is something the matter?" she asked at seeing his face pale.

"You mean you do not know?" Mr. Henson asked incredulously. "I thought you would have been informed by now, I know that you don't have any other relatives, but a friend of your parents could have let you know…"

"I am sorry sir, but I am not at all to certain what you are talking about. Please come in and you could let me know what is wrong." She led him inside, closing the door behind him. She then led him to the kitchen, where she introduced Draco and Blaise to him. "Are you hungry? I made extra for my parents, but they must have left early this morning. It is such a shame because I really wanted to see them before I went back to traveling; we just arrived late last night, so I didn't disturb them-"

"Ms. Granger, you truly have no idea?" After seeing her confused look he continued, "Your parents, David and Emma Granger, were found dead in this very house two weeks ago."

Hermione stopped breathing; her heart must have stopped beating because she could only feel tightness in her chest, her whole body felt stiff. Then her vision blurred, blinking rapidly she said in a hoarse voice, "You're lying! I just received a letter from them earlier this week!" She stood up, the chair toppling to the ground. Reason that owl delivery takes time didn't cross her mind. She paced stopping every few seconds, as if she accepted this knowledge, but pushed it away violently. She reached the counter, grabbing a hold of the edge, breathing short breathes. Suddenly she doubled over, sobs at the back of her throat, but she choked them back.

She sense Blaise stand up, trying to give her comfort, but he heard her voice say in a deadly tone, "Don't touch me." His hand stilled right above her shoulder. "I said DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" She pounded on the countertop, heartbreaking sobs flooded the room. Her chest was unbearable tight, her sobbing so thick that she couldn't breathe. She slid to the floor, her head resting on the cool marble of the counter. She couldn't stop crying, she felt as if a dam had opened up and the water was not going to recede any time soon.

"Mia," Blaise whispered, holding her tightly. He felt her grab a hold of his shirt, her small hands becoming fists, her tears staining his shirt. He felt her shake uncontrollably.

"They can't be gone Blaise, they just can't be." Her voice was thick with grief as she spoke.

Mr. Henson then said, "We have been trying to send word to you, but we didn't know where in Albania you were at, there was no contact address for us to reach you."

Hermione shook her head, as if to clear it. Standing up with help from Blaise, she then looked up the lawyer, "How did they die?"

"That's the thing, the coroner doesn't even know what the cause of death was. Both of your parents seemed to have been in the best of health, other then they were dead. But the most peculiar thing was that they had a look of terror etched on their faces."

Draco and Blaise exchanged looks of anger and pain for their friend as she once again slid to the ground sobbing.

Well that's that for now. Hope you enjoyed it and you know what to do…Review! No Flames though! What are you waiting for, go on, go on!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry I haven't updated quickly (remember I'm new to this thing). I was actually studying for my agent license…I passed the test. It is a very gruesome test…very scary. I figure it's pretty depressing when you only get one review in many weeks. So…

…I would like to dedicate this chapter to volleygal905.

Disclaimer-If I was the Almighty Rowling, would I be writing fan fiction?

Chapter 3

Draco stood at the Iron Gate, the entrance to the cemetery that Hermione's parents now rested in. He was watching his sister in all but blood staring at the monument, the wind playing with her wild hair that almost hung to her waist. At this distance, he was not able to see her eyes, but he knew that they held the same despair, the immense sadness that he was unable to contemplate. Both him and Blaise worried about her, after all it has been about a week since she found out about their murder, and she has shown no signs of healing.

He sighed, thinking that he would probably feel like that if his parents were to die. Regardless of what people said, his family was on the light side, but one could not slip up on their loyalty of Voldermort, which is why everyone, even his house elves had believed them to be evil wizards. Draco had even told Dumbledore that Snape would not have as much information to give the Order without his father's help. The only reason that his father joined was because it was what was expected of his family, and that the information that Voldermort gave him was useful to Draco's godmother. She was a valiant fighter against Voldermort, and kept his father sane at times.

"Should we check up on her?" Blaise asked as he reached his best friend's side. He touched Draco's shoulder when he noticed that he was deep in thought. "I said should we check up on her? She comes here for hours and hasn't eaten since that morning-"

"How would you feel if you were told that your whole family has been dead, when you thought that they were safe at home?"

"Happy, my father beat me and my mother couldn't care less about me, I would be glad to have them murdered-"

"What about your baby sister, she hasn't done anything wrong, in fact, you adore her." Draco watched as Blaise's face darkened with anger. "You would be affected by that."

"Of course I would be, she is the only one who loves me in that god-forsaken family." He sighed, staring at Hermione's back. "I would want to destroy something; I would want to hurt the person that caused me so much grief, so that they would know what it feels like to have your heart ripped out of your body. But," he turned to look at the young man beside him, "it doesn't seem that she has done anything to exercise the pain."

Draco nodded in agreement, "No she hasn't, and it's eating her up inside. Her eyes look dead and she's rapidly losing weight. She spends all of her time at this place and hasn't made any move to continue our mission." He stared ahead, watching her turn and make her way towards them. "It's not as if I care more about the mission than I do her, but keeping busy might help her heal."

"Yeah, just about anything would be better than this." He started to walk towards her, looking over his shoulder at Draco, "We have to help her." He looked back at her, his eyes finding hers, and found his chest constrict. "_There is only room in my heart for two people: my sister and this broken woman in front of me,"_ he thought as grabbed a hold of her hands, bringing them to his lips to kiss gently. His forehead was against hers, noses touching, he was close enough to see the golden flicks that graced her eyes, eyes that were now widening in shock. He smiled, "_Apparently, not the time…pity."_

Draco watched as Blaise put his arm around her, leading her out of that desolate place. They were walking slowly, but at least neither of them will have to drag her away like they had to the first visit. "_Yes, we have to help her that much is clear, but how?"_ When she reached his side, he grabbed a hold of her hand, just incase she decided to go back. "How bout some lunch, you haven't eaten recently…"

"I'm not hungry," she stated in an emotionless voice. She looked at one boy, then the other, slowly slipping her hands out of theirs, "I'm going to Diagon Alley." And she disappeared with a barely audible _"Crack"_ right in brood daylight, with muggles about. Both boys were speechless, she was always the careful one.

"I think she planned that," Blaise finally said, still looking speechless.

"You think?" Draco asked sarcastically. "We are both presumed dead in our world. Dead men can't go waltzing into Diagon Alley." He looked like he was ready to pull his hair out. "Well, let's head over to an apparition point and go wait her out."

Hermione was actually at home, grabbing a cloak with a hood, so that she wouldn't be noticed when she made her way to Gringotts. Another _crack_, and she was at the Leaky Cauldron, a wizard's pub. Making her way to the back as inconspicuously as possible she tapped on the brick wall three times with her wand. Diagon Alley was then revealed to her, and she was shocked to see that it was almost completely empty. She could see a few people out and about, but they were dressed as she was, long black cloak with a hood to hide there faces.

When she reached the steps of the wizard bank, she breathed a sigh of relief, glad that her boys decided not to follow her. She smiled a bitter smile that made her want to cry. "_There were two different boys I used to call my own, it feels like it was ages ago, and yet…only a month has passed…"_ She was inside Gringotts now, making her way to one of the goblins. The goblin looked down at her, his clever face scrutinizing her.

Hermione suddenly realized that he was trying to find out if she was friend or foe. "_Well one could never be too careful these days."_ She pulled her hood back slightly to reveal her face and let out the breath she didn't know she was holding when he grinned at her.

"Ah, yes, we have been expecting you," he said as he watched her put her hood back just so. "I am Griphook, allow me to show you to Ragnork, the head of our tribe so to say." He motioned her to follow him. He led her through the back door, one that she had noticed no one was shown into, not that there were many people out and about in Gringotts. The room was dark, a long mahogany table was in the center of the rectangular room, one end pointed to the door she just exited, the other towards another door that led where, she knew not. He seated her at the head of the table near the entrance, offered her some tea, when she declined, he then left her to her own devices to retrieve Ragnork, she assumed.

She lowered her hood to rest on her shoulders; then she sat still as a statue, thinking what Harry was up to, smiling softly as she thought of him, wondering if his family was treating him alright. Yes, she has come to terms that they aren't made for each other romantically, but she couldn't help but worry for him all the same. He was her very best friend, her confident. She always knew that there was always something about him that drew her closer, they rarely fought and they believed in each other. She had worried about his reaction to the Dementors, but Professor Lupin had taught him the patronus charm, a charm that could ward off or destroy the Dementors, depending on how strong it was.

Her thoughts drifted to Professor Lupin the way he smiled, even though he went through torture every day of his life. The full moon isn't the only thing that hunts him, wizards look down on him, treat him as if he was nothing. She thought he was a brilliant, wonderful man that made people think about what life gives them, at least he did to her. She shook her head and mentally groaned, "_I'm thinking about him again. He's thirty-seven years old, he won't be interested in a little girl like me. Must think of something else…I wonder how everyone is doing…" _

She forced a different thought in her head: she stated to debate with herself on whether she should contact her friends to let them know that she is okay, but that would be a dangerous thing, it would be just asking for trouble. "_Then again, I would love to get my hands on one of those Deatheater scums." _ She then heard the door on the far end open and click shut. Her eyes met Griphook's, who gave her a crooked grin before stationing himself at the door on her side. She watched as another goblin, an older, wiser looking goblin seating himself at the other end. She was curious, with the table being roughly fifty feet in length, they would have to shout at each other to get the conversation and business over and done with.

"Would you like me to sit closer, that way conversation will be easier for the both of us?" Hermione asked the goblin she presume to be Ragnork. Even in the darkness, she could see mild surprise and curiosity flit across his face.

"Most wizards and witches feel more in control when they sit in the seat in which you are seating on," came the gruff reply.

"Well, I'm not most witches," she answered, standing up to sit next to the goblin. She didn't see the humorous smile that Griphook was currently sporting, nor did she notice the looks of approve Ragnork was wearing. "This is much better, don't you think Lord Ragnork?" she asked as she sat down on the chair to his right. She gave him a slight smile, hoping that he wouldn't mind.

"You surprise me Ms. Granger. I have heard from my sources that you try to help equalize Magical Creatures to humans, and here you are, allowing me to witness you kindness. I believe that we will get along very well." Ragnork was stroking his beard in thought, his eyes penetrating her own. "Tell me, you called me Lord Ragnork, why would you do that?"

Hermione smiled a little more. "Why wouldn't I? This place is your territory, goblin territory. Wizarding laws do not apply here. Being a courteous guest, I shall address you as you should be addressed, with respect. Furthermore, Griphook has told me you are their leader of sorts; that position demands the respect I already wished to give you." His facial expressions did not change, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was impressed.

He chuckled. "You are an amazing witch Ms. Granger." Staring at her, he nodded in approval. "Ask of me what you will, if it is in my power to grant, then it shall be."

"I have a great deal of muggle money that I would like to be transferred to Wizard gold. But I do not want an account just yet. I have charmed a chest to be able to hold a great deal of, well anything, and I would appreciate it if that would be allowed. I thought it over and wondered if there is any sort of magic that could be placed upon it that, if is not in my direct control, it would come here. That if I was to die, then it would come here with a copy of my will. Is that possible?"

Ragnork nodded. "The only reason why we would request that you open an account is so that your assets would be safe, but it seems as though you thought of everything." He signaled of Griphook to come over. She stood up, pulling a small chest out of her cloak pocket, enlarging it and then opened it up. "Do you have a will prepared already, or would you like me to draw up some papers? While we discuss, Griphook will transfer the muggle money to Gringotts gold."

"I do not have a will already made up, would you be my witness Lord Ragnork?" She saw his curious gaze. "If that would not be a problem…" Griphook was closing the chest already leaving their side to grab the necessary forms and to transfer the money.

"Again you surprise me." He was stroking his beard again with his long fingers. "I could witness it, your will that is. Do you have anyone in mind to be the beneficiaries."

"The people I would love to give an inheritance to are already wealthy. Well there is the Weasley family… we could give them 30 of my assets, but the rest I want to go to a fund. I would like it to go to the well beings of the Magical Creatures. Would this be possible?"

Ragnork was nodding his head, "And who would be in charge of this 'fund,' surely you have somebody in mind?"

Hermione was thoughtful, actually she was making all of this up as they go along, she didn't have any idea who she could trust this with, other than Harry, and Professor Lupin. But wizarding laws do not promite Magical Creatures to be a beneficiary, unless… "I would like Remus Lupin to be in charge of the fund. If he is unable to, then Harry Potter would be next in line." The laws never stated anything about Magical Creatures being unable to manage a fund.

Ragnork grinned, "Working your way around the Ministry's Laws are you? You may as well add a third person to head the fund, the more, the safer so to say."

"In that case Lord Ragnork, I would like you to be the third," she said with a grin of her own. The look on the goblin's face was priceless for her at least. She has never seen a baffled goblin. _"Who knew even a goblin could look like a fish out of water."_

Ragnork composed himself quickly, "I would be honored."

They spent most of the afternoon creating the Will, it was early evening when Ragnork suggested that she head home. She smiled at the aging goblin, feeling at ease for the moment. Griphook returned, bring back her chest now filled with Gringotts gold. "We already charmed it to do as you asked. Just so you know, you are up there with Malfoys on wealth." She shook her head, not really caring if she is or not.

"A word, Ms. Granger, think of it as a bit of advice. I know that there is a beast within you. I can see that you are hurting. All I am saying is that you release the beast within you to help you with your grief." He turned away, so not to see her shocked expression, exiting the room at the door he had entered from.

Draco and Blaise were discovering the joys of television. They probably would have enjoyed it more if they were not so worried about Hermione. Nonetheless, they were trying to keep themselves busy so they would not foolishly chase after her.

Blaise was fidgeting, wanting to go after her, he couldn't bare it if a Deatheater was to get a hold of her, especially his father, who would take great delight in torturing and killing her. "Draco, it's been _hours,_ should we go after-"

"No, she's a big girl." He was staring at the box with the moving pictures, trying not to show his worry to Blaise, someone had to be the logical one and if shows his worry, Blaise would play on that to get his way, it is a Slytherin thing.

"But I'm worried about-"

"So am I, but I know that any wizard-"

"So we have to sit tight while Mia-"

"-or witch worth their salt would-"

"-could be in serious danger-"

"-recognize us and sic the Ministry-"

"-while we're sitting around with-"

"-Dogs on us and land us in Azkaban."

"-our thumbs up our asses."

Draco glared at him, while Blaise just grinned. A soft _crack_ rang into the living room. Both boys jumped up and ran into the foyer, what greeted them was not Hermione's human form, but her lynx one. The cat hissed, darting around the boys' legs and into the living room.

They exchanged glances, confused, then heard the sound of glass breaking. Running back into the room they just left, both watched the small wild cat sank her claws into an easy chair, the soft stuffing spilling from the fabric like blood from a wound.

"Mia-" Blaise began, but couldn't find the words he wanted to say.

Draco took over, "What in Merlin's beard has gotten into you?" _"Honestly, I'm happy she doing something to exercise the pain but who convinced her?"_ He knelt down next to the lynx, smiling when the little thing took it upon herself to hiss at him so viciously. "You know I could wrestle with you if it is a fight you are looking for."

The lynx darted away back into the foyer. "What the devil-" came a male voice.

The boys held their wands out, willing to kill if it came down to it. Both let out a sigh of relief when they saw their old potions master came out, cradling the cat to his chest. He came to a halt when he saw the destruction of the living room.

"What the devil happen to here?" Severus asked, his eyes widening when he watched his former students pointing to the cat in his arms. He looked down at her letting down, the little cat that only came up to his knees slowly changed into his brightest student who was looking at him in anger. The feeling was rolling off of her in waves, it would take a complete dunce like Weasley to not notice it; Potter, unfortunately, he would give the credit to realize _something_ was up.

"Why didn't you tell me!?!" she asked, standing up. "I thought you had inside information about what the Deatheaters were doing! What Voldermort was planning! You said they were safe, you said that nothing would happen to them, and that He was focusing on Harry!!!" Wand in hand she pointed it to her ex-professor, "Whose side are you really on?" The look in her eyes would make Voldermort fear her.

"Ms. Granger, what on earth are you rambling on about? And put that away, you know whose side I am on, I would never betray Dumbledore, dead or alive. He gave me a second chance when others wanted to kill me. Now will somebody tell me what is going on?" he asked in his classroom voice, the voice that people stay silent and pay attention to.

"Professor, Mia's parents were killed here almost three weeks ago with the Killing Curse," Blaise answered. All three teenagers watched Severus' face change from indifferent curiosity to disbelief.

Hermione lowered her wand at that moment, knowing that Severus really knew nothing about it, about her parents' deaths. "Professor…"

"Do you three know what this means now?" Severus asked.

"It means that Voldermort doesn't trust you enough to tell you this type of information. He probably questions whose side you are on," Hermione answered.

"That's right. You all should leave here, just in case they come back looking for you." Snape looked at the teenagers with concern.

"But Professor, you should come with us, wouldn't that be safer for you since Voldermort doesn't trust you?" Hermione asked.

"No, I will try to gather as much information as I can possibly can. Now go," Snape said before he apparated.

"Well you heard the man Mia, apparate us out of here." And she did, bringing them back to their campsite as the sun was setting and the full moon was rising.

A/N Well that's it for now. Again, sorry for taking so long to update, I wanted to make this a longer chapter, but I figured this has been postponed long enough. Remember to review now.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Alright! I'm back with another chapter! It has definitely been awhile! This is the part where I thank everyone who has reviewed:

WhiteTiger1992-thanks for reviewing! I made this chapter a teeny bit longer just for you!

AnIrishLily-I love the review! Makes me happy you feel that way, I hope this is still an original in your eyes. And I really hope that you will stick through it in the end.

Don'tCallMeBones-I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the advice!!!

Disclaimer-I don't, in any shape or form, own Harry Potter. Except my copies of the books I purchase, even then it's debatable.

Now, on with the story!!!

Chapter 4

Blaise knelt down, starting the fire that was once there a little over a week ago. He snuck a glance at Hermione, admiring the way she moved about the camp, with only the light of the moon to guide her. He was tempted to keep the fire out, if it meant watching the way the moon's pale rays made her skin nearly transparent, even with the tan she gained being outdoors. But he figured Draco wouldn't be to keen on that…

"Blaise, what is keeping that fire from starting? Do you start it up but your saliva puts it out?" Draco drawled. "And do keep your mouth closed; it's not very Slytherin-like to drool over Gryffindors."

Blaise snapped out of his reverie, after making sure that he really wasn't drooling, discreetly of course, he said, "You're the one that started that one mate, Red is a Gryffindor, if you do remember correctly."

"Ginny is an exception: she's bright, good-looking, and I am convinced that the Sorting Hat made a mistake putting her into Gryffindor; the cunning little vixen should have been in Slytherin." Draco conjured up a blanket for the three of them to set on, and joined Blaise in watching Hermione check to make sure what they have left behind was still in place and intact.

After a moment of silence, Draco said, "You know, Hermione didn't get the chance to speak to Crookshanks, so we still don't even know what is happening in the Order."

"Yeah," agreed Blaise, still watching Hermione, "and Snape will be in deep trouble with the Dark Lord if he finds out who Snape is really loyal to."

"And we still don't even know if Nagiri is the final horcrux."

"Well, I have a theory," Hermione said as she sat between the two. "I wanted to run it b Snape first, but since it looks like it will be awhile till then…" She looked uncertain for a moment.

"Out with it Mia," Blaise whispered impatiently.

"I think that Harry is the final horcrux, well his scar at least."

Both boys gaped at her till Draco said, "Are you insane? The Dark Lord wants to destroy Potter more than anything and if Potter is the final horcrux, why would he want to destroy him-"

"Think about it-Voldermort transferred some of his powers to Harry-he's a parselmouth, able to see into Voldermort's mind at times, is able to feel his very strong emotions. All of these were there before Voldermort came back into power. Voldermort would want to kill Harry because Harry is a threat to him. So what if he destroys a horcrux in the process, in his mind he still has five other safely tucked away from harm."

Blaise nodded as if it made perfect sense to him. "_Destroy a horcrux, or let it live; the one who has the power to destroy the Dark Lord. Easy decision." _ He watched her unshrinking her trunk and stare inside. He knew what she was staring at, both him and Draco knew-Dumbledore's Pensive.

Draco glanced at Blaise, wondering if he was thinking the same thing bout what they saw in the pensive after Snape brought them all together.

Snape had stood guard while the three of them fell into the pensive. They had followed Potter and Dumbledore as they went to retrieve the fake locket; not that Potter or Dumbledore knew that the locket was a fake. There was also the memory of Morfin, Voldermort's uncle who had possession of Slytherin's ring, and the discussion that Potter and Dumbledore had discussing the memory. Another memory was about a gaudy overdressed fat lady named Hepzibah Smith, who had possession of Hufflepuff's cup _and_ Slytherin's locket. Voldermort murdered her and made it looked like her house elf did it. There were so many memories, but he knew that they would be a benefit to them.

He wasn't entirely too sure about Dumbledore's sanity at times, but there was no denying that he was a genius; he based his pensive to still contain and maintain his memories even after he perished.

"Did you hear that?" Blaise asked suddenly, startling his companions. "It's faint, probably less than a mile off." He was using his lion senses. He heard Hermione gasp beside him.

"How could we forget?!" Hermione whispered franticly. "And Snape said for us to stay away from my home."

"What are you talking about Mia?"

"We are in the Dark Forest and there is a full moon out-"

"Everyone change," Draco ordered, "Hermione, you will stay up in the trees, you're form is too small to fight werewolves."

"I will fight with you-" Hermione started.

"No," Blaise cut in, "you need to stay safe, stay up in the trees till daybreak."

"And watch while the two of you are attacked by werewolves? I don't think so-"

"You can hate us all you want after the sun has risen, but for now get in the blasted tree Mia!" Blaise exclaimed, as he pulled the reluncent girl towards said tree. He felt her shift, her body transforming into the small, lithe wild cat. She hissed at him before bounding towards the tree, before sinking her razor sharp claws into the bark. Blaise smiled with satisfaction before he turned into the tawny lion with the black mane, joining the Siberian tiger that was guarding the tree.

Draco looked at Blaise, the tiger in him wanted to rush towards danger and annihilate the threat that pertained to his almost sister. The human, however, knew that he needed to keep his cool to protect Hermione; it was a battle he was close to losing. He was saved from the dilemma when the werewolves attempted to ambushed them. There were thirteen of them, none of them wasting time in attacking Blaise and himself.

Hermione watched from the tree, watching Blaise and Draco fighting off the werewolves. For a brief moment she wondered how Professor Lupin handled his transformation, if he was able to get a hold of a Wolfsbane Potion. She shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts of her beloved friend- "_Professor, not friend, friend is more intimate-"_ She stopped her thoughts before they decided to get out of control, again. Focusing on the situation on hand, she counted thirteen of them fighting furiously, giving as good as they got, or better. But that didn't stop her boys from trying to obliterate the beasts. Scanning the werewolves, she saw something catching the light of the full moon, shining, beckoning to her. Her eyes narrowed, it looked as if one of them were wearing an amulet... "_I know that amulet; Professor Lupin described it to me as the one that Fenrir Grayback always wears!"_ (A/N: Took the idea off of Underworld, don't yell at me. I just wanted to single him out!)

Leaping from her perch, she descended towards the hated werewolf, he was unprepared for the lithe cat, whom he could have easily defend himself from in a different circumstance; however, rage fueled Hermione, rage against the foul creature that ruined the life of the most beautiful, wonderful man that she ever had the good fortune to meet. She experienced a blood lust, not just to wound the creature, but to destroy it, obliterate its entire existence. Her fangs connected to its jugular, she tasted the metallic taste of its blood as her claws dug their way down the creature's chest.

Something came over Hermione, as she watched her foe fall so easily from her attack, half of his throat still in her mouth; the lynx in her wanted more, more of the hunt, more of the kill. She turned to her next opponite, a werewolf that looked as if it already to one to many beatings; something she would be able to take down without getting too hurt in the process. Racing towards the werewolf, Hermione's human side wanted to stop: there was something eerily familiar about that werewolf. But the lynx didn't listen, instead, she increased speed, the desire to help her comrades great; but the taste of blood in her mouth was the deciding factor.

Her claws sunk into his hide, his blood spilling out, much like the stuffing that came out of the chair she attacked at her home did. It howled in pain, but did not fight back; he was ready to give up. The lynx growled in frustration, it wanted a fight! She bit into the hide, tasting that intoxicating liquid, her claws finding a new place to attack, his underside: the soft flesh of his belly. The creature now was on its backside; the lynx in Hermione's mind backed down because of lack of fight.

She stretched out on top of him, keeping him pinned down. She wanted to finish him off because he was losing a lot of blood, dying a very slow, painful death; but she did not want to risk the lynx wanting another blood lust. She could easily kill him if she could use her wand, but she was not going to take the chance that she might be bitten in the possess. So waiting it was.

"_I hope that the others are doing alright, I can still hear a fight going on…Blaise is seriously going to murder me after the sun comes up. Draco might even help him."_ The cat yawned, looking east, hoping for the dawn to arrive. "_I hope that this is not too painful to the werewolf…I wonder who he is…What if he is Professor Lupin? No he could not be. Professor Lupin is with the Order in England. That's right, he can't be anywhere near Albania, right? Finally the sun is rising-Oh my goodness!"_

Hermione looked down at the face of her beloved professor, who, in turn, reached up and stroked beneath her jaw.

"Hello Hermione," came his ragged voice.

She changed back into her human form, wondering how he knew, what he was doing here. She knelt down next to him, her mouth opening up in horror as she surveyed the wound he carried; wounds that she gave him. "Professor," she gasped, "I'm so sorry. I will heal you; I have been practicing spells that Healers use." She knew she was rambling; it was a nervous trait of hers. She used some spells that should have closed the wounds, but they stayed open.

He grabbed her hand that held the wand and looked into her chocolate orbs. He knew he was too far gone, and he had curse wounds from the other werewolves…he was not going live to see the war end. "Don't waste your strength Hermione. I already know that I am going to die-"

"It's my entire fault, all my fault," became Hermione's mantra as tears stream down her face. She vaguely felt him slide his hand up her arm and caress her throat. She became more aware when she felt him pull her down and her lips connected with his. The feel of his tongue sliding gently along her sealed lips asking, begging permission to enter. And the sensations of his tongue caressing her own made her weak, she was glad that she was kneeling by his side.

"Thank you," he said after the pulled apart. "And don't call me Professor, I haven't been one for a long time." He longed to hear her say his name with familiarity.

"Remus… I'm sorry I did this to you…" Hermione knew that his death would affect her greater than her parents' death did. She knew that her heart was breaking, that now, she didn't have anything to hope for after the war is over-

"Listen to me Hermione, I want you to live for the both of us, for everyone that is dear to you that has and will die in this war." He looked at her shocked expression, glad that he had her attention. "If I didn't die today, Voldermort would have killed me later. I am glad I will die by your hands; I offered to die in your hands. The moment I smelled your scent, I welcomed your attacks." He watched her as she situated his head onto her lap. "Don't cry for me, live for me. I am going to be with my closest friends, they left me all alone a long time ago. Promise you live for me, for Dumbledore, Sirius, James and Lily. Promise it."

"I promise Remus," she said solemnly, knowing he was going to where he longed to go.

"I'm glad I have known you Hermione, I told you before I would never forget you, and I will tell you again. I will never forget you, love, never."

She was confused by his statement, but her heart gave a leap when he said love, only to sink again as she felt his life drain from his body. But, true to her word, she didn't cry.

After Blaise and Draco transfigured the bodies into twigs, they burned them. Meanwhile, Hermione buried her beloved professor, transfiguring a log into a coffin, and left him in the temporary grave.

"I suppose that we should continue to head north," Hermione finally said.

"Somewhere in this godforsaken forest, there should be a horcrux," Draco stated. "He did spend many years here after Potter destroyed him, correct?"

"Yes, according Dumbledore's pensive; Professor Quirrell had met Voldermort here and became his host."

"Quirrell…Oh yeah, first year DADA Professor, right? I always thought that he was a shady character, always stuttering…" Blaise mumbled. He suddenly turned towards Hermione. "Don't think that your off the hook, after this war is over I am going to give you a sound thrashing."

Hermione flinched, not because of the threat, she knew she deserved that. But it was because of her memory of her animagus form's lust for blood. Did they experience that being large carnivorous cats? "Draco, Blaise, in your forms, did you experience a desire to destroy, to shed blood with the fights with the werewolves?"

Both boys stopped walking abruptly, making her turn back to face them. She wished she didn't. Both of their expressions were pained, because of guilt or the memory of it? She embraced both her boys, comforting them. "I did too."

"Let's keep going," Draco said, "the sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest easy."

"True," was all Blaise said as they continued on their journey.

(A/N: This is the perfect place to end the chapter, don't you think?)

Weeks have passed by with nothing interesting occurring, and normally that was a good thing. But searching for a horcrux, they expected something terrible to happen to let them know they were getting closer. The deeper they went into the forest, the darker and colder it seemed to get. With their cloaks drawn closer to their bodies, they braved deeper into the unknown and most definitely uncharted forest. The quiet was steadily getting on Hermione's nerves, she felt like screaming for the sake of having some sort of noise. Occasionally she would see a light flickering behind the trees. "_Could that be a hinkypunk? But they are bog dwellers right?"_

"Does anyone else see that light?" asked Draco.

"I'm going to check it out," Hermione said over her shoulder.

Blaise ran after her, holding her back. "Don't you dare Hermione, it could be a hunkpinky, or whatever they are called. You know, the things with lanterns-"

"It can't be," Hermione argued, "those are bog dwellers. Something is off with that glow though, and I am going to figure it out!" With that, she jerked herself away from him, running towards the light. Both boys could be heard muttering "Bloody hell" as they sprinted after her. The sight that greeted them in the clearing of the glow was defininatly what they weren't expecting.

In the center of the roughly seventy foot diameter clearing was the glow from Hufflepuff's cup, but guarding it was hundreds of Dementors. "Damn it, I hope you both know the Patronus Charm," Hermione stated. "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ She heard her comrades say the incantation the same time she yelled it. Her otter patronus weaved about as she guided it, definitely strong enough to destroy Dementors, the problem was that there were so many.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a falcon patronus soar in the sky disintegrating the Dementors it came across. On the ground, near her otter, a bear patronus was charging its way through the Dementors. Yes, the three was strong enough to destroy, not make the Dementors retreat, but there was still so many, it seemed as though they just multiplied.

It had only been minutes, but it felt like hours that they were fighting the Dementors before it looked as though they were getting somewhere. She had been keeping check on the multiple patronus, in a sense of making sure Draco and Blaise were alright. But she couldn't see the bear patronus anymore; she glanced about while trying to maintain the focus for her patronus. Her eyes landing on a crumbled form, just several feet at her right. She felt power surge through her body and suddenly everything became bright, and when the light faded, there was not a Dementor in sight.

Draco was momentarily blinded, and when his eyes cleared, he could not see a Dementor, but he saw Hermione running towards Blaise, who appeared to be on the ground passed out. "_Please just let him be passed out, anything but-"_ He couldn't bare to think of it if he was defeated by a Dementor.

"Blaise, Blaise answer me!" Hermione yelled through her tears. She stared down at his blank expression, his dark eyes dull. Suddenly she heard something, a faint sound coming from Blaise! "Please don't leave us!" She looked at Draco, who was on Blaise's other side.

"Is he-" He couldn't bare to say it, his mind wanted to deny it.

"Give him hell, give him hell," Blaise mumbled.

"He's alright!"

"No Mione, his soul has been taken." Draco pounded on the ground. "My best friend's soul has been taken!" He grabbed his fallen friend's hand; the other was furiously wiping his tears away. "He will never have peace because his soul has been devoured!"

"But he's talking, I never heard about them talking after that happens," Hermione sobbed.

"It must have been a strong thought or feeling." Draco looked down at his friend, finally able to control his tears. "Don't worry mate, we will give Voldermort hell. He will pay dearly!" He stood up and went towards the cup that was set on a pedestal.

"You're just going to leave him here!"

"No!" Draco snapped. "I am going to take him to my father so he can A.K. him and have him buried, but first we must take care of this blasted horcrux!"

Hermione slowly joined him, tears still running down her face because of his thoughtless statement. She felt Draco pull her towards him, embracing her. "I'm sorry." She heard him say. "It just hurts so damn much…"

He pushed her away to look at her face, brushing the tears away. "Mione, I don't think I could lose you as well."

"I'm not going anywhere; I'm going to see this through till the end." She watched him smile briefly, before indicating the cup. She took a deep breath, raising her wand to the cup. "_OBRUIT ANIMA!_" The cup quickly began to lose the glow that drew them to the clearing. Finally the gold cup fell to the ground, it looked a little tarnished but the symbol of the badger was still visible. She pulled out her trunk, unshrinking it, before placing the token carefully in the second compartment of her trunk. "You paid attention to the wand movement, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. Fairly easy, move the wrist just so to where the tip of your wand raises about a foot and drop it about half way with a jab." Draco demonstrated it to her until she was satisfied.

"Just cast the spell as soon as you find the horcrux, if it is a horcrux than you should visibly see a reduction in power." She embraced him, "Just be careful, promise?"

"Promise, besides, my father is out of Azkaban. He will be able to show me where he has hidden it, alright?" He felt her nod against his chest and held her tighter. "Don't worry; we are going to get through this. Blaise wouldn't want you to worry; you heard what he said, 'Give him hell.' And we will, don't you doubt that."

She smiled up at him. "You know we have wasted six years where we could have been friends."

"Yeah, Blaise, you and me would have made a better trio then Potty, Weasel, and yourself."

She didn't bother to correct him. "Alright you head over to Malfoy Manor and I will head to the Order."

He went to Blaise's side, grabbing a belt loop in the back of his pants and throwing an arm over his shoulder. He looked at his childhood best friend sadly, not proud of what was going to be done. His gaze then met Hermione's. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head, it hurt. It hurt so damn much like Draco said earlier, but-"He's worse than dead, there is nothing worse for him now, is there?" She smiled slightly. _"I am going to live for him as well, not mourn, just like Remus said to do, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."_

Draco saw the bittersweet smile on her face, but did not comment. He knew that she was thinking about their professor who had fallen earlier in the month._ "I wouldn't be surprised if he was more to her than an old professor, I think that Blaise knew it too."_ He smiled at her, "See you in a week, and remember that's two days after the full moon. We will meet at Hogwarts, right?"

She nodded, watching them apparate. Draco was going to take care of Ravenclaw's wand, and she Slytherin's locket. She apparated to her house, which was still quiet. She had spent so much time around Slytherins, knowing how they think and usually operate, that she would unconsciously do the same as them. She wouldn't be surprised if she were to put on the Sorting Hat today, it would insist she go to Slytherin. "_Tonight, I will try to sneak into the Order Headquarters. But now, I think that I deserve a rest."_

A/N: Finally finished with the bloody chapter!!! I know that some people may not be too happy with me but this is how it has to be. Don't worry everything gets better after the next couple of chapters. Some of you might or might not be curious to know what _obruit anima_ means. _Obruit_ to destroy it in Latin. _Anima_ is roughly translated into soul in Latin. Fair warning: I have started on the next chapter, but if everything doesn't go well, don't expect an update till first week of September, I may be moving.


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